2027 Founders Award Nominations

IWIRC is seeking nominations for its Founders Awards, which honor IWIRC members and networks:

• The Melnik Award for Exceptional IWIRC Member
• The Fetner Award for Exemplary Service to IWIRC
• The Ryan Award for Outstanding IWIRC Network

Nominees should exemplify IWIRC’s mission and have made noteworthy contributions to the organization or to their local IWIRC network, either over the past year or over several years. Award recipients will be honored at the IWIRC 2027 Leadership Summit on March 3, 2027, in Hong Kong. Details on each award and a link to past recipients are below.

Nominations are due December 4, 2026. Please take a few minutes to nominate a deserving IWIRC member or network. Strong nominations usually include one or more full paragraphs describing the nominee’s specific contributions and their impact. Brief statements are less likely to stand out to the selection committee.

Because the Leadership Summit takes place early in 2027, we are collecting nominations now so that award recipients have enough time to plan their travel to Hong Kong.

The Melnik Award for Exceptional IWIRC Member Nomination Form

The Melnik Award, named after IWIRC founding Chair, Selinda Melnik, is awarded to a member whose contributions to IWIRC, over an extended period of time, have been exceptional. Through her efforts, she made a lasting impact on the mission of IWIRC.

The Fetner Award for Exemplary Service to IWIRC Nomination Form



The Fetner Award, named in honor of our founding Vice Chair, Martha Fetner, is awarded to a member for exemplary service to IWIRC, through efforts over the past year or several years, especially aimed at bringing members together through regional and international conferences, efforts and relationships. This award is given to a member whose contributions to IWIRC have helped to fuel the growth and expansion of IWIRC’s mission globally.

The Ryan Award for Outstanding IWIRC Network Nomination Form

The Ryan Award was founded in honor of IWIRC founding Secretary/Treasurer, Laureen Ryan. The Ryan Award is for the IWIRC network that best exemplified IWIRC in the past calendar year. All chartered IWIRC networks are eligible. While each network will be asked to submit a report to be considered for the award, we welcome nominations from members as well.

About International Women's Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation (IWIRC): IWIRC is committed to the connection, promotion, and growth of women in insolvency and restructuring professions worldwide. Since 1993, IWIRC has been connecting women worldwide through a global membership of more than 2,500 attorneys, bankers, corporate-turnaround professionals, financial advisors, and other restructuring practitioners. The organization provides its members with relationship-building, educational, career enhancement, and promotional opportunities. Be Inspired. Be Informed. Be Connected. For more information, visit us at www.iwirc.com.

International Women's Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation

ccschnapp@iwirc.com | Tel 404-689-5969 | www.iwirc.com